Method for extracting and concentrating juices



July 8, 1952 G. l.. CUNNINGHAM METHOD FOR EXTRACTING AND CONCENTRATINGJUICES Filed June 11. 1949 Patented July 8., 1952 Georgej- L Cunningham,

5 Claims.

lyin connection-with fruits and vegetables chai-- acterizedf byY amore/'of Yless'- cellularstructure,A

such as oni'on's. Y The extraction of juices fromfruits' and vege tablesis a process Y having considerable com' niercial'* significance and 'vValue, but heretofore required, and it thrusts'f p `Still another objection to the extraction fcorficentr'ation of juicesfromvfruits an'dvegetables'l according to prior -art processesfis that ordinarily-heatis employed in' connectionwith the' concentratingofthe'juicesf'thatfIhave beeny extracted, and this tends to change the 'flavor fof:-theju-i'ces" so they-- are not` as' palatable [as cr-igina11y.m. TheA"primary-object of this invention fis to provide''a improv/eimethod'and apparatus for extractinglfandconcentrating juicesvfrom fruitsand Vegetables, V"suchfas indiens-and theY like,A whichylea'd'stasuperiorproduct. f -f r! f 2-"Stillanotherobject istheprovision of a method'and-Iapparatus for extracting juicesi fromonions and -lthe like which-is-highly eicientfwith reg-ard to the*amountof -available #juice vwhich isextracted;Yv` f 1, jfAparticularobj ectiof this invention is' to utilize the' freezing of the articlesbeing processed vforbife'aking f the cellular: structure thereofl inorder tij-'accomplish a greaterefciency `of-.'juice extraction.

'Uitl-1s also la 'particular lob-ject" of this invention tofp videtatmetho'd and apparatus.. for extracting"juicesfromlon-ionsand' the likewhich involves al combination of freezing, thawing,- pressinggfad'concentrating the` juiees-byln-eezing' which results in a' productthat-isi highly uniform and fwhich'- can bei dilute'd `to its originalconsisteric'y and without r'-fllfi'e'se and other objects and advantageswill that their structurev :isf

any lossin `flavor or aroma.V

""-Signor to The. Commonwealth 'Engineering i l f Companyof Ohio;Dayton, u i Y. ,A i* Y Allllicelimn June i1, 1949;'

plied toextracting. the juice from onions; i. :1

v ;w.. become more apparentupon referenceztoithefolz lowingdescription-taken in connection withatheg accompanying drawings,inwhi'cl'Iz-fA g Figure l'is a more or less` diagrammatic :layer outshowingthc .process of .this invention as 'ape-v Figure-2 is'. ai: planview indicated by. line erV cnfJFigu're', 1v and/.showing :L theVfreezerenf-herein. the onions areioriginally frozen hard; @Figure 3 isaverticalisectionrlookingfinat the end of the freezing compartment ,ofFigure 1.; :and Figurefl is a sectional; viewrindicatedxbyline ll-'-llon Figure-1l andillustratinggthe thawing sta-l tionfwhere fthegonions 1are thawed .afterheing frozen*I fr-fl mi l z-f lThe .process accordingto thisinven on maybe' generally stated as follows:

' 20 Ar'iother objectionv is' that 'great .pressures are is sometimesimpractical to set up5 th'fapparatus for..vv developing v such high-JThearticles fromwhich the juice isito heizen-- tracted are first;vfrozensolid.;jx InA the caseof, o ni'onsfv the temperaturekis reduced toabouti-30;v degress-below zero Fahrenheit.' 4,; After theionions', orwhatever'article is being, treated, have been frozenv solid forapredeter- `mined; lengthv of time, they arethen thawed a3 predeterminedamount; This freezing andfthawf; ing yof the varticles results in acomplete. breaking'- ulp ofthe internal structure thereonA In' the caseof onionsand other cellular fruits and Vegetables;

f this frleezing vandrthawing is eiectiveforruptun 3G'y ing fory atleast .weakening "each-fand everygjuice containing cell therein, sovthat vsubsequently vthe, cells cani readily'zbe. broken' and; the;juice-rex tractedftherefrom.f i

'.Itfemightlbe pointed ,out :that the freezing is preferably-azslowfreezing process as distinguished fromf what; is .Y known. asrapidfreezing orfast: freezing according ato' present-day methods of'freezing.` fruits'f vegetables. meats, i and the like,r for preservingthem; f In fast freezing, the freeze lng process is .carriedfout ksorapidly: that .the ice crystals formed arevery small and thereis `notmuch breakage of fthe cellular structure of Ithe article being frozen|This process contemplates freezing at such'v rate that Aice-crystals canygrowv andfaccordinglyfwill rupture, or at least'f-weaken, the fcellular istr'ucture; soi that upon thawing the juice can readily beextracted.

` juice 'containing cells which are not broken' dur# ing the thawing andfreezing process,` andl thejuice is, accordingly, released from thesolids or pulp.

After the grinding up of the material, it is passed through a blendingunit wherein the substance is thoroughly blended and made homogeneousrThe substance.. is thenconveyeclvv from the blenderfto the pressingunit;

The substance at this time is still cold, although the temperature hasbeen raised suinciently for a general thawing of the substance,

and is in at least a semi-liquid state A,dueztothel'A `action of themacerating unit and the blending unit. This semi-liquid is thendeliveredifrom the blender to a pressing station' and i'ssubjected to`pressure. Due to the fact thatmostfof the cells of the original fruit orvegetable have been y ranged so that the fluid is introduced at the leftend of the unit and passes in cascade through the 4severalindividualrcompartments thereof to the right end of the unit.

In .each of thecornpartments 44, there is a swinging screenedL barrier46. are@connected by the parallel motion linkage 48 broken down or cutup, either due, to. the freezing,

or thawing action, or combination thereof with the macerating andblending action, the juice in vf the substance readily separates fromthe pulp and solidsxthereof. The juice: so separated from the pulp andsolids of the substance is then passed through a multiple. stagefreezing unit,l wherein theijuice flows through the unit in onedirection whilebeing chilled to the point of freezing and the icecrystalsv formed duefto the freezing pass..

through theV unit inthe opposite direction. This unit thus removes thewater from :the juicesyexpolling the Water from one end of the unit asice, and thefjuices in highly concentrated form from the. other.end'ofthe unit.

The expelled juiceswill have a certain amount of' ice entrained therein,and are preferably. centrifuged after leaving they freezingunit, therebyfurther concentrating and purifying the product. The ice discharged *ati.the .opposite end of. the unit has entrainedthereina'considerableamount of the juice beingconcentratedl and itisalso preferably centrifuged and the liquidfthus-.re-

movedv from the. ice reiuxedl into.=.thefreezing unit and passedtherethroughtfThe ice .froml which the juiceciseentrifugedis,aoffcourse,^ waste.

Referring now to the`=drawings;.there' is. shownA in Figure 1afreezing-.unit *lll .comprising amine..

sulatedenclosure about which arearr'anged the',

pipes-l 2 through .which refrigerant vcan :be-passect for: freezing the`onions therein; indicatedlf41. There is agate at. ISiattherbottomloffthefreez-f ing' compartment,Y and 'thisfonensiintoi'fa:tunnel .f

orY i channell 8`. 'throughfiwhiclr thenonionsf,r pass; during thethawingrcyclexm'llhe.,tunnelffl' may beV heated in anysuitable'manneriland therez'a're shown the heat lamps 20whichgfareconnected Withfasuitable source ofelectric current;.as.-.-iswell-known the: art., Atxthei right.:iend;ofthe;

- tunnel I8, theznowl-'thawedgonionsffallinto., the.'

' 44; A: motor 'l5 may.

These barriers to move in unison and are also connected with Aa crankarm 50 which supports the linkage in 'an upright position. Each screenedbarrier 46 hasic'onnected thereto a drive arm 52 that is connected bythe gearing 54 with drive shaft unit to the right end thereof.' Duringthe passage of the juices through the unit, the screened barriers46operate for continuously urging. ice particles which formv withinjtlie`.chambers leftwardly so that they fall out the chutey indicated at. E58lat' the extreme left-hand end of. the-unitn.`

The Vcompartments in the .freezing unit .are maintained atsuccessivelylower temperaturesy from left to right, sothat in each compartment thetemperature is such y,that there will be a formation vof 'icecrystalstherein. As the ice crystals flowv alOngrWith the liquid,ftheyform a nucleus about which-larger and larger crystals4 grow until thecrystals reach Ya size .that they will'be engaged by the screenedbarriers and moved thereby towardthejleftend of the machine.` Y .p ,y

AAs, the juicesV pass rightwardly through. the freezingunit, it will `begseenthat they become moreV and more` concentrated'and thatv it isVonly centrifuge, theV ice rWhichuniay Vbe entrained withthe concentratedjuicesis Aremoved therefrom,

., andfthe pure'product f is discharged gfrom the centrifuge asat 6G. Atthe lef-t endof themachine, the ice crystalsjfalling down chute` 60enter centrifuge 68, and the juice which is en-A trained Vwith the iceis separatedtherefrom in this centrifuge an'ddischarges from the:rcentrifuge as by means of the. discharge opening. 10. This/fluid is`pumped by a'pump. 12 through conduit 1 4 and isreuxedf by beingreintroduced into vthei freezing unit in-l the rst compartment be`provided for pump12, and a motor T8 for centrifuge B8. j

Itl will be apparent that, vwhileithe method and apparatus of.thisinventionf could be utilized inA connection with any fruitorvegetable, it is particularly 4well adapted to the extractionv ofjuice.- from` onionsjand similar fruits ,and vege'f tables havingcellularstructures.v i

It will-'be-,understood that this invention isV susceptible tomodification in -order to adapt it tot different--usagesand conditions,4and, accordarating the resulting ice ingly, it is desired to comprehendsuch modifications within this invention as may fall within the frozencellular articles, macerating the thawed cellular articleswhile stillpartially frozen, blending the macerated substance of the cellulararticles to a owable homogenous liquid, pressing the substancehomogenized by blending to separate the juices therein from the solids,freezing the juices to solidify the water therein and sepfrom thejuices, centrifuging the separated ice to the juices entrained therein,and refluxing the juices separated from the ice by introducing it intothe juices being frozen.

2. A1 method of extracting and concentrating juicesv from ediblecellular articles which comprises: freezing the edible cellular articlessolid, thawing the cellular articles partially, macerating the cellulararticles to a pulpy mass while still partially frozen, pressing themacerated mass to separate the juices .from the solids thereof, reducingthe temperature of said juices until ice crystals commence to formtherein, and moving/the ice crystals and juices in counterow therebyremoving Water from the juices and concentrating the juices, andprogressively reducing the temperature to which the juices are subjectedin the direction of flow thereof.

3.`A method of extracting and concentrating juices from edible cellulararticles which comprises: freezing the edible cellular articles solid,thawing the cellular articles partially, macerati'ng the cellulararticles to a pulpy mass while still partially frozen, blending the massto a owable liquid substantially homogeneous as regards temperature andtexture, pressing the blended mass to enforce a separation of the juicesfrom the extract therefrom pulp and solids therein, reducing thetemperature of the said juices to commence the formation of ice crystalstherein, and moving the ice crystals and juices in counteriiowrelationship thereby removingwater from the juices and progressivelyreducing the temperature to which the juices are subjected in thedirection of flow thereof.

4. A method of extracting and concentrating juices from edible cellulararticles, which comprises freezing the edible cellular articles solid,partially thawing the cellular articles, macerating the cellulararticles to a pulpy mass while still partially frozen, pressing themacerated mass to separate the juices from the solids thereof, andconcentrating the juice of the article by freezing the water in thejuice to form ice crystals and removing the ice crystals.

5. A method of extracting and concentrating juices from edible cellulararticles, which comprises slowly freezing the edible cellular articlessolid, partially thawing the cellular articles, macerating the cellulararticles to a pulpy mass while still partially frozen, pressing themacerated mass to separate the juices from the solids thereof, andconcentrating the juice of the article by freezing the water in thejuice to form ice crystals and removing the ice crystals.

GEORGE L. CUNNINGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the rile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. IN A METHOD OF EXTRACTING JUICES FROM CELLULAR ARTICLES, COMPRISING,FREEZING THE DIBLE CELLULAR ARTICLES SOLID, PARTIALLY THAWING THE FROZENCELLULAR ARTICLES, MACERATING THE THAWED CELLULAR ARTICLES WHILE STILLPARTIALLY FROZEN, BLENDING THE MACERATED SUBSTANCES OF THE CELLULARARTICLES TO A FLOWABLE HOMOGENOUS LIQUID, PRESSING THE SUBSTANCEHOMOGENIZED BY BLENDING TO SEPARATE THE JUICES THEREIN FROM THE SOLIDS,FREEZING THE JUICES TO SOLIDIFY THE WATER THEREIN AND SEP-